Converting old DMV site for elections board to cost $350,000

1of2Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce, at podium, addresses those gathered for a press conference outside the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles office on South Pearl Street on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. Elected officials and community leaders gathered to denounce statements by the Albany County Board of Elections Republican Elections Commissioner, Rachel Bledi, who said that the South End is a Obad, dangerous neighborhoodO. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski2of2Elected officials and community leaders gather outside the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles office on South Pearl Street for a press conference to denounce statements from a member of the Albany County Board of Elections on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. Albany County Board of Elections Republican Elections Commissioner, Rachel Bledi, said that the South End is a Obad, dangerous neighborhoodO. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski

ALBANY - Albany County expects to spend nearly $350,000 to renovate the former state Department of Motor Vehicles building on South Pearl Street to prepare the space for the county's Board of Elections.

Legislators approved spending no more than $345,807 to renovate the county-owned space at 260 S. Pearl St. in Albany, which is roughly the cost the county spends annually to rent the elections board’s current location on North Russell Road, off Central Avenue.

Despite the upfront renovation cost, county officials said the move makes financial sense considering those costs include meeting requirements and standards for elections equipment and functions.

“We made that investment,” county spokesperson Mary Rozak said. “We are now going to be in a new facility that is compliant, that can facilitate what we need to do and is in an area that will be very accessible to populations that historically had a hard time getting to polling sites” and the elections office.

Renovations included updating wiring and outlets for the various elections equipment, upgrading information technology to support operations and bringing other aspects of the building up to compliance, Rozak said.

Legislators approved moving the Board of Elections to the South End earlier this year, hoping to save money for county taxpayers and potentially increasing voter accessibility in the low-income, majority-minority neighborhood.

It was anticipated the move and retrofit of the building would cost about $100,000, according to a previous feasibility study, but those estimates didn’t include the requirements the Board of Elections provided to make the space compatible, Rozak said.

“That one-time spend is an investment,” she said. “If we would have spent that on rent one year, it’s gone.”

The county currently pays $27,846 a month to rent space at 32 N. Russell Road for the Board of Elections. It includes 75 parking spaces in the lease, county officials said. The lease expired at the end of April and the county has been paying month-to-month until the expected move at the end of the year, Rozak said.

The move initially received pushback from Republican election Commissioner Rachel Bledi, who said the building wasn’t a good fit and described the area as a "bad, dangerous neighborhood." The comment angered some elected officials and residents who felt the remarks were racist.

Legislators approved the move with the 10 Republicans opposed, standing by Bledi and suggesting the process was being rushed. They said other options should be explored and the long-term perspective should be considered.

Demolition inside the structure has already been done in-house and asbestos abatement is expected to start in the near future, Rozak said. The building is expected to be move-in ready once the general election in November is over, she said.

Amanda Fries covers the Capitol in Albany and state government for the Times Union, focusing on the state workforce, housing, budget issues, malfeasance and other forms of corruption. She first started in June 2016 covering the city and county of Albany for the Times Union. Got a tip? Contact her at 518-454-5353 or afries@timesunion.com.